Jump rope



Oct. 30, 1962 R 3,061,307

JUMP ROPE Filed Aug. 25, 1960 a 25 INVENTOR.

3] j Robert L. Burr X L f ef w Httorneys United States Patent Ofitice 3,061,307 JUMP ROPE Robert L. Burr, PI). Box 2603, Birmingham 2, Ala. Filed Aug. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 51,832 3 Claims. (Cl. 27275) This invention relates to a jump rope and more particularly to a mechanical jump rope in which means to rotate the jump rope about the body of a person is provided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means to rotate a jump rope about the body of a jumper without the jumper having to exert any effort whatsoever in turning the jump rope.

Another object of my invention is to provide means to rotate a jump rope about the body of a person which means is secured to the body of the jumper with the rope rotating in a generally vertical plane about both the drive means for the rope and the body of the jumper.

A more detailed object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical jump rope having a motor secured to the body of a jumper by a belt with a double ended shaft extending from the motor beyond the sides of a jumper, and a rope secured to the ends of the shaft whereby upon energizing the motor, the rope forms a loop about the body of the jumper.

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my mechanical jump rope secured to a belt adapted to be positioned about the body of a jumper;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the mechanical jump rope shown in FIG. 1 with a portion thereof shown in section; and,

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the electrical system for driving the jump rope.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention I show a belt which may be secured about the body of a jumper or user of the jump rope by a buckle 11. Secured to belt 10 is a power pack indicated generally by the numeral 12. Power pack 12 preferably has a cushioned rubber portion 13 disposed against the body of a user or jumper.

Power pack unit 12 comprises a reversible variable speed motor 14 which drives gear box 16, all of WhlCh is enclosed in housing 15 which is partially broken away in FIG. 1. Output gear 17 of gear box 16 drives a spur gear 18 that is secured to a shaft 19. Motor 14 has a pair of bearings 21 secured thereto in which shaft 19 rotates upon energizing of motor 14. Shaft 19 preferably extends around eighteen inches from either side of motor 14 and beyond the sides of the jumper. Secured to each end of shaft 19 is a socket 22 having a set screw 23. A flexible member, such as a jump rope 26, extends between sockets 22 and is secured therein by adjustment of set screws 23. Thus, upon rotation of shaft 19, rope 26 moves in a vertical plane and is of a suflicient length to extend about the head and feet of a jumper as the rope rotates.

To drive motor 14 batteries 27 are provided and are housed in a plastic case 28 secured to the underside of housing 15. Lines 29 connect batteries 27 to motor 14 for energizing motor 14. To adjust the speed of variable speed motor 14, a rheostat 31 is placed in circuit with 3,061,307 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 motor 14 and adjustment of rheostat 31 thereby varies the speed of motor 14. To energize motor 14, a push button 32 is secured to a side of belt 10 by holder 33. Upon depression of button 32, motor 14 is energized to rotate shaft 19. A second push button 25 is placed in series with motor 14 to reverse the direction of motor 14 and thereby reverse the direction of jump rope 26. Push button 25 is a double pole switch and may be positioned adjacent motor 14 in easy reach of the jumper so that the direction of the jump rope may be reversed.

Belt 10 may be of a plastic or leather material and is adjustable to different sizes. The position of belt 10 on the body of a jumper will'determine the direction of the circle made by rope 26 as it revolves about the jumper. Since motor 14 is a reversible type motor, rope 26 can revolve about the jumper in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction. Further, the belt can revolve from the side of the jumper as well as from the back or front thereof. To allow my invention to be used for persons of all heights, rope 26 may be lengthened or shortened by adjustment of one of the set screws 23. The rope is formed of a relatively stiff material so that a true loop form is maintained while the rope is rotated.

From the foregoing, it should be understood that I have provided means to rotate the jump rope about the body of a jumper without the jumper having to exert any effort whatsoever in turning the jump rope. The drive means to turn the jump rope is secured directly to the body of the jumper and the rope rotates in a generally vertical plane about the body of the jumper and about the drive means for the jump rope.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A jump rope adapted to be rotated automatically in a generally vertical plane about the body of a jumper comprising an electric motor, a belt for securing the electric motor to the body of a jumper, a battery connected to said motor to supply electrical energy thereto, a straight double ended shaft carried and driven by said motor, said shaft adapted to extend generally horizontally beyond the body of the jumper, and a rope secured to and connecting the ends of said shaft and of a length sufiicient to form a loop about the body of a jumper whereby upon energizing the motor the rope rotates in a generally vertical plane about both the motor and the body of a jumper.

2. A jump rope adapted to be rotated automatically about the body of a jumper comprising an electric motor, a belt for securing the electric motor to the body of a jumper, a battery connected in series to said motor to supply electrical energy thereto, a straight double ended shaft carried and driven by said motor, a rheostat in circuit with said motor and said battery and adjustable to vary the speed of said motor and thereby the speed of rotation of said shaft, a manual switch to close the circuit 1 to energize the motor and thereby rotate said shaft, said body of a jumper whereby upon energizing the motor the rope rotates in a generally vertical plane about the body of a jumper.

3. The jump rope defined in claim 2 in which a socket is mounted on each end of the shaft to secure the rope, and a set screw is mounted on each socket to secure the rope in the socket and permit the length of the rope to be easily adjusted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Crandall Nov. 9, 1875 Turnbull June 13, 1882 Kreutzer Jan. 3, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Oct. 27, 1910 

